1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distribution control apparatus, a distribution control method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that control distribution of firmware of an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a technique to update firmware of an image forming apparatus by distributing/providing the firmware via the Internet has been proposed. At the same time, a service for storing and managing various types of content data for high-speed distribution over the Internet has also been proposed. This service utilizes a storage unit in a network for storing content data, which is also referred to as a net storage. A distribution server can perform high-speed distribution by utilizing the net storage. Furthermore, the distribution server controls data stored in the net storage by managing a status that enables distribution of firmware (hereinafter referred to as “publication in the market”). Firmware that has been determined to go out of use in the future is deleted from the net storage by suspending its publication in the market.
Meanwhile, there is a monitoring system for remotely monitoring the running states of peripheral apparatuses, such as an image forming apparatus. A technique to reserve an update of firmware of an image forming apparatus under the environment of the monitoring system has been proposed. With regard to reservation and instruction methods, for example, a reservation may be made by the monitoring system, or an instruction/reservation may be issued/made by the image forming apparatus.
There are various types of firmware, ranging from normal firmware that is used by an ordinary user on an image forming apparatus, to business firmware, individual firmware, and the like. Here, business firmware denotes firmware that is, for example, provided with additional functions to live up to demands from specific corporations. Individual firmware denotes firmware that has been modified for a specific failure and the like and released to a very limited extent, e.g., for specific corporations and offices. Some specific corporations have a demand to use a uniform version of individual firmware, in which case it is not uncommon to use the same version over an extended time period. In this case, there is a possibility that a specific version of individual firmware suddenly becomes necessary due to, for example, exchange of a platform of the image forming apparatus.
Also, with regard to a system for distributing contents in accordance with requests, a technique to set a period of validity and enable distribution of paid contents only within the set period has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-259842).
As the types of image forming apparatuses supported by a distribution system have become diverse, numerous items of firmware are registered with the distribution system in many versions, resulting in the increase of the cost of a net storage. Furthermore, registration of many items of firmware has given rise to the trouble of selecting desired firmware from a list presented by the system.
In addition, there is a case where specific corporations using individual firmware wish to use a uniform version of individual firmware for a plurality of image forming apparatuses. For instance, there is a possibility that, after the elapse of an extended time period since the release of individual firmware, a version of firmware whose publication in the market has been suspended suddenly becomes necessary due to, for example, exchange of a platform of an image forming apparatus.
There has been a demand for an efficient firmware management/update method in the foregoing cases.